Filipinos Immigrate to Canada for New Opportunities & Respect

There has been a lot of attention to the immigrants who have migrated to Canada in recent months. The population of Filipinos in Canada has grown from under 1,000 to one of the largest growing immigrant populations. There are currently over 500,000 Filipinos living in the Canadian provinces and during the year, 2012 along, over 32,000 new immigrants came to Canada from the Philippines. This represents a 146% increase from 2004, only a decade before.

WHY ARE FILIPINOS GOING NORTH?

What is driving this move into Canada on the part of the Filipinos? It started to be noticed in 1930, but it remained slow for several decades, until recent years. Many of the original immigrants came due to the need to serve as live-in caregivers in Canada, settling mostly in Toronto and Winnipeg.

CANADA’S OPEN DOOR POLICY TO FILIPINOS

Modern Filippinos come to Canada for different reasons-but the primary reason is Canada’s friendliness toward immigrants and their openness to allow them in as temporary workers. Some leave families behind in search of the better opportunities which abound in Canada, and reunite with their families later, once they have established a permanent residence.

FILIPINOS WORK IN EVERY INDUSTRY

If you go to Canada, you will notice that most Filipinos in Canada work in a wide range of areas and industries, and they are very flexible in their work opportunities due to their fluency in English as a second language, and willingness to find work. In addition there are many family sponsorships available for Filipinos looking to make Canada their home and programs such as the Super Visa Program offer long-term visitors visas. These factors have greatly contributed to the surge in immigrants from the Philippines to the Provinces of Canada.

SUCCESS STORIES

There are success stories of may Filipinos who have successfully migrated to Canada, including Tobia Enverga Jr., who became Canada’s first senator of Filipino descent. Rey Pagtakhan is another example, who migrated to Canada and was then elected to Canada’s Parliament in 1998.

CANADA/PHILIPPINES RELATIONS

These examples and the other success stories regarding successful immigration to Canada indicate there are strong connections which exist between Canada and the Philippines. This makes a social and political statement about the two countries, as well as a statement about the fortitude and determination of Filipinos themselves.

AN EXAMPLE TO ALL

The open door approach to immigration on behalf of the Canadian government, the wide array of helping type programs which aid and assist immigrants to stay in the country until they are able to make their residence permanent and lawful, is a good example to other countries and provinces regarding the right way to handle immigration issues. Filipinos are happy to call Canada their home once they are there, because of the respect they receive and the opportunities that await them if they do their part.